ext_15150 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crack_van2006-08-07 09:53 am
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-08-07 09:53 am
Entry tags:
The Truth by MJ Mink (PG-13)
Fandom: STAR WARS OT
Pairing: Gen
Length: 78,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MJ Mink & Friends Fan Fiction Page, MJ Mink's Fanfiction.net Profile
Why this must be read:
In my two previous stints reccing Star Wars on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
crack_van, I've recced a few stories in the Luke-Vader subgenre. In such stories, Luke and Vader usually develop a close father/son relationship, eventually.
In this story, there are quite a few obstacles to that eventual goal. For one thing, Luke knows exactly who Vader is at the beginning of the story. The information is given to him by a well-meaning Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many fans castigate Obi-Wan for lying to Luke and then defending himself with the whole "certain point of view" speech. This story shows just how things could have gone had Obi-Wan told Luke the truth from the very beginning.
The knowledge of who and what his father is taints Luke's childhood in unexpected ways. This is a Luke who cannot idolize his father or tell the other children about him in glowing terms (unless Luke opts to lie to them). When they do finally meet, neither Luke nor Vader is what the other expects.
The story of Luke's childhood, his adventures, and his ultimate meeting with his father is long, but it explores how such a simple change in what Luke is told can change many things. But the most important things -- family, friends, doing what is right -- remain unchanged.
The story is complete, but MJ Mink has left open the possibility of a sequel.
* * *
"Luke, you have a special gift," Uncle Ben began.
"Can I have it now?" he asked excitedly. "What is it?"
Uncle Owen grumbled something.
"You already have the gift," Uncle Ben said. "You can do things that very few people can. You know things that other people don't. Not many people are like you."
"You are." That's what Uncle Owen said. Just like damned old Ben, and sounded angry when he said it.
"Yes, I am," he agreed. "You and I can do these special things. But you must not let anyone else know that you and I are different."
"Are we bad?" he asked doubtfully. That's what Uncle Owen said.
"No, just different," Uncle Ben said slowly. "Luke, I have to tell you secrets that you must never, ever tell anyone. Only you and me and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen know. These are very special secrets, dangerous secrets, and I'm asking you to be a grown-up about them and never repeat what I tell you. Can you promise not to tell?"
"I promise," he agreed enthusiastically. He liked secrets. "I know lots of secrets and I never tell."
"That's good. But these are especially secret secrets. If you tell anyone, I could die. And you might die, too. People would kill us."
Now he didn't like these secrets. He was scared. He'd seen animals dead in the desert, and once he’d found a lizard that was really sick and he'd stayed with it while it died. It made him sad when it just lay there in the sand, empty.
He stuck his thumb in his mouth. Aunt Beru took it out, saying absently, “Don't put dirty fingers in your mouth, Luke,” and held his hand.
"You and I have the power to access the Force," Uncle Ben said. "The Force is an energy field that surrounds us and -- Well, it lets us do special things that other people can't do."
"Like magic?"
"Sort of." Uncle Ben sighed. "Some people who use the Force are called Jedi. I used to be a Jedi."
"Am I a Jedi?" Luke interrupted.
"No, but you could have been," Uncle Ben said, looking sad. "Right around the time you were born, all the Jedi were killed by the Emperor and Darth Vader. I escaped and I have been hiding here."
Luke thought about this. He'd seen holos of the Emperor and Darth Vader. They both looked scary, and Uncle Owen said they were really mean. "Did they get killed 'cause they were bad?"
"No, Jedi were good."
"Then why did they get killed?"
"Sometimes good people die, Luke, when evil people want to destroy all the good in the galaxy. Do you understand why you can never tell anyone about you and me? And you can never let anyone know that you can do magic. That means you can't call your toys to you; you have to go over and pick them up. You can't tell people when something is going to happen before it happens -- like when a sandstorm is coming or when Tuskens are going to attack."
"But..." Luke stopped, overwhelmed. "Those are good things. To help people."
"I know. But you can't do that anymore. You will find other ways to help people."
He cuddled closer to Aunt Beru. She smelled good, like cookies. "Okay."
"You understand?"
He nodded, pouting. "But I don't like it!"
"Neither do I, Luke." Uncle Ben glanced at Uncle Owen. "There's something else I have to tell you."
"I still say it's a bad idea," Uncle Owen said harshly.
"It's necessary," Uncle Ben replied shortly. "Luke, it's about your father."
He put his thumb back in his mouth. This time Aunt Beru let him keep it there. He didn't like to talk about his daddy or his mommy. They died when Luke was very little and that still made him feel sad.
"There's no easy way -- " Uncle Ben paused and sighed again. "Luke, we didn't tell you the entire truth about your father. We told you he was a spice smuggler and a bad man. The truth is, your father is more than bad. He is... evil. He killed all the Jedi. He tried to kill me. If he found you, he would kill you. Or he would make you be evil like him."
That was a lot to think about. He felt a tear slip down his face. He thought his daddy was only regular bad, but he was really really bad? His daddy killed people? How could his daddy want to kill him? "But he's dead."
"No, he isn't dead. He's -- "
"Ben!"
"I have to tell him, Owen. He has to know. It's the only way to protect him." Uncle Ben's finger went under Luke's chin and tilted his head up so their eyes met. "Luke, your father is Darth Vader."
The Truth
Pairing: Gen
Length: 78,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MJ Mink & Friends Fan Fiction Page, MJ Mink's Fanfiction.net Profile
Why this must be read:
In my two previous stints reccing Star Wars on
crack_van, I've recced a few stories in the Luke-Vader subgenre. In such stories, Luke and Vader usually develop a close father/son relationship, eventually. In this story, there are quite a few obstacles to that eventual goal. For one thing, Luke knows exactly who Vader is at the beginning of the story. The information is given to him by a well-meaning Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many fans castigate Obi-Wan for lying to Luke and then defending himself with the whole "certain point of view" speech. This story shows just how things could have gone had Obi-Wan told Luke the truth from the very beginning.
The knowledge of who and what his father is taints Luke's childhood in unexpected ways. This is a Luke who cannot idolize his father or tell the other children about him in glowing terms (unless Luke opts to lie to them). When they do finally meet, neither Luke nor Vader is what the other expects.
The story of Luke's childhood, his adventures, and his ultimate meeting with his father is long, but it explores how such a simple change in what Luke is told can change many things. But the most important things -- family, friends, doing what is right -- remain unchanged.
The story is complete, but MJ Mink has left open the possibility of a sequel.
* * *
"Luke, you have a special gift," Uncle Ben began.
"Can I have it now?" he asked excitedly. "What is it?"
Uncle Owen grumbled something.
"You already have the gift," Uncle Ben said. "You can do things that very few people can. You know things that other people don't. Not many people are like you."
"You are." That's what Uncle Owen said. Just like damned old Ben, and sounded angry when he said it.
"Yes, I am," he agreed. "You and I can do these special things. But you must not let anyone else know that you and I are different."
"Are we bad?" he asked doubtfully. That's what Uncle Owen said.
"No, just different," Uncle Ben said slowly. "Luke, I have to tell you secrets that you must never, ever tell anyone. Only you and me and Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen know. These are very special secrets, dangerous secrets, and I'm asking you to be a grown-up about them and never repeat what I tell you. Can you promise not to tell?"
"I promise," he agreed enthusiastically. He liked secrets. "I know lots of secrets and I never tell."
"That's good. But these are especially secret secrets. If you tell anyone, I could die. And you might die, too. People would kill us."
Now he didn't like these secrets. He was scared. He'd seen animals dead in the desert, and once he’d found a lizard that was really sick and he'd stayed with it while it died. It made him sad when it just lay there in the sand, empty.
He stuck his thumb in his mouth. Aunt Beru took it out, saying absently, “Don't put dirty fingers in your mouth, Luke,” and held his hand.
"You and I have the power to access the Force," Uncle Ben said. "The Force is an energy field that surrounds us and -- Well, it lets us do special things that other people can't do."
"Like magic?"
"Sort of." Uncle Ben sighed. "Some people who use the Force are called Jedi. I used to be a Jedi."
"Am I a Jedi?" Luke interrupted.
"No, but you could have been," Uncle Ben said, looking sad. "Right around the time you were born, all the Jedi were killed by the Emperor and Darth Vader. I escaped and I have been hiding here."
Luke thought about this. He'd seen holos of the Emperor and Darth Vader. They both looked scary, and Uncle Owen said they were really mean. "Did they get killed 'cause they were bad?"
"No, Jedi were good."
"Then why did they get killed?"
"Sometimes good people die, Luke, when evil people want to destroy all the good in the galaxy. Do you understand why you can never tell anyone about you and me? And you can never let anyone know that you can do magic. That means you can't call your toys to you; you have to go over and pick them up. You can't tell people when something is going to happen before it happens -- like when a sandstorm is coming or when Tuskens are going to attack."
"But..." Luke stopped, overwhelmed. "Those are good things. To help people."
"I know. But you can't do that anymore. You will find other ways to help people."
He cuddled closer to Aunt Beru. She smelled good, like cookies. "Okay."
"You understand?"
He nodded, pouting. "But I don't like it!"
"Neither do I, Luke." Uncle Ben glanced at Uncle Owen. "There's something else I have to tell you."
"I still say it's a bad idea," Uncle Owen said harshly.
"It's necessary," Uncle Ben replied shortly. "Luke, it's about your father."
He put his thumb back in his mouth. This time Aunt Beru let him keep it there. He didn't like to talk about his daddy or his mommy. They died when Luke was very little and that still made him feel sad.
"There's no easy way -- " Uncle Ben paused and sighed again. "Luke, we didn't tell you the entire truth about your father. We told you he was a spice smuggler and a bad man. The truth is, your father is more than bad. He is... evil. He killed all the Jedi. He tried to kill me. If he found you, he would kill you. Or he would make you be evil like him."
That was a lot to think about. He felt a tear slip down his face. He thought his daddy was only regular bad, but he was really really bad? His daddy killed people? How could his daddy want to kill him? "But he's dead."
"No, he isn't dead. He's -- "
"Ben!"
"I have to tell him, Owen. He has to know. It's the only way to protect him." Uncle Ben's finger went under Luke's chin and tilted his head up so their eyes met. "Luke, your father is Darth Vader."
The Truth